Te Whāinga: A Culture Lab on Civility

In October 2019, the Auckland Museum and Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center will co-present Te Whāinga: A Culture Lab on Civility in Auckland.

The immersive four-day festival (25-28 October) will feature a world-class collective of local, national, and international artists, scholars, and cultural practitioners. This collective made up of artists and collaborators includes Ahsin Ahsin, Rodney Bell, Marc Conaco, Elliott Collins, Maria Dumlao, Dr. Léuli Eshraghi, Erin Fae, Tanu Gago, Jack Gray, Rebecca Hobbs, Hina Kneubuhl, In*ter*is*land Collective, Kerry Ann Lee, Qiane Matata-Sipu, Carl F.K. Pao, Rosanna Raymond, Reina Sutton, Miranda Smitheram, Kereama Taepa, Rosabel Tan and Pati Solomona Tyrell who will examine the term civility as part of Tuia 250 Commemorations..

This free public event held in Silo 6 and Silo Park over Labour weekend; situated in the area of Te Waitematā, a place of rich cultural narratives and meaning to the 19 recognized iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau and a meeting place between land and the sea: will allow visitors to Te Whāinga to have the opportunity to immerse themselves in over a dozen new and original art experiences, performances and interactive activities. This is a unique opportunity to engage and collaborate with some of today’s most creative talents to explore what it truly means to coexist within our communities, societies, and humanity.

2019 situates us in a host of collisions between our complex histories, enduring systems and beliefs, greater awareness of our ecological pressures and our future aspirations: this year marks the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s arrival in Aotearoa New Zealand, UNESCO has declared 2019 the Year of Indigenous Languages and the New Zealand Government has delivered a landmark action on climate change.

Meanwhile, people throughout the world and from various walks of life have recognized that the solutions to today’s greatest challenges, inevitable tensions and intersections can only be realized by seeking compatibility of aspirations without denying these fundamental cultural and cognitive complexities amongst one another. Indeed, a fitting word for such an assertion for mutual respect and understanding would be civility, if only that term did not carry the baggage of colonialism, conformity, and cultural violence.

Culture Labs are community-centred museum experiences where kaupapa are shared to nurture collective imagination that prioritize equity, peer-to-peer learning.